The Gold Star (Pequena Estrella)
by staystrongleaX
Summary: When a five year old girl reveals her true colours to everyone around her. People think she cannot be helped. Even by her parents. But when Santana Lopez, a teenage girl offering help at a local tuition centre turns up, maybe there is hope for the only child. Warnings in later chapters and includes Little Rachel. Deals with Schizophrenia in children.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: The Gold Star**

**Rating: T**

**THIS HAD BEEN A DIFFERENT STORY BEFORE, BUT I CHANGED IT AND HAD RACHEL A LOT YOUNGER , just because I like Little Rachel and the story line is very different :)**

**AN: Because I changed it, I mashed it up into another story which I haven't got written out yet but it's the same sort of idea, so I might be able to get it all up quickly for you.**

**Warnings: Will deal with Childhood Schizophrenia and Rachel is six and a half. **

**Anyway, Read and Review :)**

* * *

**The Gold Star **

Maths hadn't always been my strongest point, but to be honest, neither has English. But I needed to find some place to work somehow, so I volunteered my help here, at the tuition centre. I didn't only do it for the cash, I did it to show my Mom I was responsible enough to leave to New York in a couple of months after I graduate with Brittany, but my Mom still worried I was too young and not responsible enough to travel alone, you know why my Mom doesn't class Brittany as an adult.

Brittany was a year older then me, but she had to repeat her year but is now graduating with me, my Mom didn't like the fact that it was just me and her, on our own, in New York. And getting a job would show her that I was responsible and I needed that little bit of cash in case Mom changed her mind and we would have to pay for the ticket. Even though I knew my Mom would never let me go to New York empty handed.

So I sat here, marking all of the work. Luckily they provided us with answer booklets so we didn't have to do it in our head. As I flicked through to find the page the answers were on, I heard this women shout at someone and looked up "Do you're work Rachel, I'm not saying it again!" I followed her eyes and saw she was harshly shouting at a little girl, whose converse shoes hovered centimetres off of the ground and her chest barely came over the table.

The little girl looked up, her eyes sparkling with tears but she blinked them away as she moved all hair out of her face. She looked around the table for something and then stopped when she saw the green marking book with all the answers in, she reached over and grabbed it before pulling it towards her and opening it up to her page. The other teenage girl I was with, who also went to my school but we were on very opposite sides, got up and walked towards the girl. It was a thing kids our age do, just get a job, anywhere, and get paid. We'll all need the money when we're older, might as well start earning some now.

"You best not be cheating" Quinn stated folding her arms and almost towering over Rachel. Rachel looked up in surprise and then dropped the book with her mouth open. Quinn took the book "I'll keep that" she walked away with the book while shaking her head. I saw Rachel pout and look back down at her work again. She must be really stuck if she had to result to cheating. No other kid in here has done that.

All the other kids look older then Rachel, or maybe Rachel just looks really young. Everyone has their head down and working while Rachel is glaring at the sheet like it's torturing her. It's only a matter of time before Judy, who owns the tuition centre, who I guess is Quinn's mother comes and sees her. And I was right as Judy walked through the doors right at that moment "Rachel, are you doing your work?"

"Yes!" Rachel snapped irritated and then quickly snapped her mouth shut. Everyone stopped and looked at her, Quinn raised her eyebrow, another women stared disapprovingly at her and I just watched in shock and sympathy as the young girl looked like she was holding onto the edge "I'm sorry" Rachel said quickly shooting up her hands to protect herself.

"No it's alright" Judy assured her walking over to her "If you need any help Rachel, just ask" she said. Rachel nodded but kept her eyes down and her feet swinging slowly. Quinn still shook her head and looked back down at the work while the other women turned back to helping the boy she was helping. Rachel bit her lip and I looked back down to what I was marking. Then, I heard tiny little footsteps walk towards me and then felt eyes on me and I looked up to see Rachel's eyes move from me and avoid my eyes completely "Where should I put this?" she asked.

"In here" I answered showing her the box. Rachel nodded and threw her sheet inside it before stomping off. Quinn didn't get it so I did. It had Rachel's name scribbled on the front and then all the questions which were level B. Which was for ages four to five did, so she must be around that age. Rachel climbed back on her chair and folded her arms, she was a little cutie. Her big eyes shined and not just because of the tears, her dimples were like the cutest thing, not that she hardly smiled, but when she did, you could see them clearly.

I started to mark her worksheet. Already she had five mistakes out of six questions. It was only four on the next page, and then went to three, and then went back to five, and then four. I sighed and decided against writing her mark big where everyone could see it, even though I knew I had to. I just hoped she wouldn't get told off by it. I stood up and that's when Rachel finally looked up again and walked towards the young girl.

"Here you go, Rachel" I said softly. Her eyes went wide when she looked through the sheets "How did I get all these wrong?" she asked so broken and small. I wasn't going to shout or scold her, I was just going to advise her "If you need help, that's what you're here for"

"No, you mark" she argued shaking her head making her brown locks go everywhere. No one else questioned me, they just did it. It was only this little girl who decided not to play nice, I had a feeling she did not want to be here and maybe her parents were forcing her to be or something "And we help too" I said.

"But you're a girl" she drawled out like it was obvious "You're not old enough to help me, no one can help me" she stated sadly. I stared at the little girl in front of me "I can help you Rachel, if you let me" I waited for her to nod and then walked around her and took the seat beside her. Rachel looked a little shock but I pulled the sheet in front of us and explained the answers and how to get to them.

When I was explaining, Rachel reached over to point at something and her sleeves went up a little bit revealing a nasty red mark. I gasped and stared at her, thinking about asking her but I didn't want to make her more upset "I still can't do it" she mumbled.

"Look sweetheart, how about we do it another way?"again I waited for her to nod before getting up and walking to the desk where all the staff were seated on. I pulled up a pack of stickers before walking towards her and sitting back down "Now, if you get at least half the answers correct, or more, and maybe even all the answers right, you can get a sticker" I said.

"That means I'll never get one!" Rachel whined.

"You will" I assured her "All you have to do is concentrate on this, now let's see that one, what is fifteen divided by three?" I asked and Rachel thought about it for a long time before she said "Five?"

"Well done!" I praised "See, you can do it"

Rachel smiled, and I'm not making this up but that is the first time I've seen her smile like that "Okay cutie, what about the next one?" I asked.

"Four!"

"Good girl"

"Six!"

"Well done"

"Two!"

"You are so good at this" I told her as I closed the booklet "I think you deserve a sticker" she had pulled her sleeves down now so I couldn't see the mark, but I knew I would have to discuss with someone later. I reached into the sticker packet and looked at the sheet "Hm, what one would you like?" I asked.

"Can you pick one for me?" Rachel asked shyly looking up at me. I looked down at her and nodded with a soft smile on my face and picked out the one that stood out. The bright gold star.

"Here you go, Estrella" I peeled off the sticker and put it down on the girl's sweater. Which was a really cute one. Her whole face lit up but then she frowned "What's Estrella?"

"In means star, in Spanish" I told her. Rachel smiled "Can you always call me Estrella?"

"But you're name is Rachel" I teased.

"I know" Rachel said sadly "But everyone else calls me other names, so you can too" she said and had me wondering who and what other names do people call her "Okay then Rachel-I mean Estrella, you sit here and do another sheet while I go help that girl over there" I said getting up.

"No!" she yelled grabbing onto my hand "Why can't you stay with me?"

"Because you have to work and I have to help other children as well" I said tapping her nose. She was so cute, I just wanted to gather her up in my arms and squeeze her. She was so vulnerable as well and even though she talked a lot and always got distracted, she could work really hard if she tried.

I walked away and let her small hand slip away from mine.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: The Gold Star**

**Rating: T**

**THIS HAD BEEN A DIFFERENT STORY BEFORE, BUT I CHANGED IT AND HAD RACHEL A LOT YOUNGER , just because I like Little Rachel and the story line is very different :)**

**AN: Because I changed it, I mashed it up into another story which I haven't got written out yet but it's the same sort of idea, so I might be able to get it all up quickly for you. THIS CHAPTER SKIPS STRAIGHT TO THE SCHIZOPHRENIA EPISODE. **

**Warnings: Will deal with Childhood Schizophrenia and Rachel is six and a half. THIS CHAPTER INCLUDES.**

**Anyway, Read and Review :)**

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**The Gold Star**

It was 9:40 the next day when I got the call. I looked up when my phone rang and picked it up and it was Quinn on the other end of the line "You need to come, now!" she said before I could greet her.

"Wh-What are you talking about?" I was in a cafe with Brittany and she stopped talking and was now staring at me in confusion. Not like that wasn't normal, but she looked even more confused then usual. I listened to Quinn's nervous rambling and my eyes widened "What!" I yelled out catching other customers attention "I-I'm coming, I-I'll be there" I quickly stuffed my phone in my pocket and picked up my drink.

"What happened?" Brittany asked worriedly.

"I have to get to that tutoring place" I said "No, _we_ need to get that tutoring place" I nodded. Brittany was good with kids and she could help me more then Quinn or the other people could. Brittany nodded and put on her jacket before picking up her cup and running out with me out of the cafe.

* * *

We got to the building and when Brittany pulled up; I climbed out of the car before it had even stopped. Judy looked up at me in relief "Santana! Thank god you're here, someone phoned us and said someone had broken into the building and we came here and saw it was Rachel, I think she wants you, you're the one gave her that sticker right?" I nodded "She said she wanted you, go inside and try to get her out, we've been trying for ages and send Quinn and Sam out too" she ordered.

I nodded again before running inside with Brittany on my heels. When Quinn saw me she gasped in relief like her mother did when she saw me "She's over there, I don't know what to do" she said. Sam nodded, who was the older lady always having a go at Rachel for getting distracted by things that weren't even there, and I looked down and saw she had Rachel in her arms, the screaming little girl was struggling and thrashing for her to let her go. I motioned for Sam to put her down and the older women did so and then looked her over "I don't understand what is going on, I told her to get out and she's still not listening, she shouldn't be in here" she emphatised looking down at her like she was scolding her again.

"You go" Brittany said not thinking that Sam was helping all this "We got this" she was trying to take control now.

Sam didn't look like she trusted us, but she got Quinn and they both went back outside, they knew I was good with Rachel. Speaking of, I looked down to see the small girl curling into a ball under a desk and I crouched down while Brittany went over and closed the doors, muttering something about them staring from outside was not helping. I riskily put a hand on Rachel's back and started rubbing it up and down "Rachel?" I said softly.

My voice made Rachel's head snap up. I saw puffy red and bloodshot eyes I get that no one understood what was happening, but you could obviously tell she was upset and frightened. Her whole body was shaking and I rubbed my hand up and down her back trying to calm down her sobbing "Rachel sweetie, what is going on?"

"Estrella" Rachel sniffled.

"Sorry" I smiled "I meant Estrella" that made Rachel tearfully smile too. I looked over at Brittany who was standing above us and watching us with a concerned look on her normally blank face "Come on Estrella, you need to be a good girl and get out of here, you can't be here before 4pm, you know that" I told her gently.

She launched her arms over me and around my neck "But they're out there" she cried "Whose out there?" I asked repeating the stroking movements on her back "The scary people, they're coming for me" she sobbed. I pulled away to look her in the eyes, I saw truth in there and Brittany looked worried "Estrella no one is going to hurt you" Brittany assured her bending now next to me "I promise"

"But I'm scared" Rachel cried in such a small voice that it had my heart breaking. She looked up at me with big brown doe eyes and my heart cracked just that little bit more "We need to get you out of here" I decided "I swear Rachel, no one is going to come for you" I told her wondering why she would think that.

Just at that time, the doors burst open and two police women walked in. Rachel screamed and her arms around me tightened while Brittany stood in front of us protectively "Everything is okay here officers, we were just calming her down before you burst in here" she told them. The police women nodded apologetically "We needed to speak to Rachel though, I got a phone call from a lady saying that Rachel broke in here because she was running from someone, that wasn't actually there"

"We have to look into these things and maybe get her checked out" the other officer stated. She looked down at the shaking girls in my arms "Are you family?"

"No" I shook my head. They both shared a look before walking closer and gently reaching a hand out towards Rachel "Hey there, do you want to come with us?" the women asked gently. Rachel shook her head "No!" she shouted "Please" she cried "Just leave me alone!"

The women straightened back up and whispered things to the other women who nodded and wrote everything she was saying down. Brittany quickly sat down next to us and whispered to Rachel "They're not going to hurt you, everything will be alright"

"I told you they were coming" Rachel sobbed "They're going to take me to the evil scientists, they're going to get me!" she yelled. I closed my eyes to stop the tears and Brittany looked close to the edge too. Rachel looked up at me "Are they going to take me away?" she asked.

I didn't know how to answer to that. This girl I had only known for a short amount of time was now asking me, was now turning to me. It was too much pressure and too much to handle. She wanted me, not her parents, wherever her parents were, maybe she was just lonely which was why all these things were happening. But she was five years old! I saw her too young to be mentally ill.

When the police officer came behind Rachel, I knew what they were about to do. She felt them and screamed and all I could see was a blur of a small child being lifted out of my arms. Our hands slipping away at the last possible second.


	3. Chapter 3

When 4pm rolled around, I was in the dullest worse mood I could have possibly been in. I spent no time helping set up the hall, I didn't even want to go in there. I wondered why they didn't cancel today, but they said it needed to go on. There was other children there too who payed for this and they were going to get what they payed for, so Judy says. I got weird looks from Sam and Quinn, they were wondering why I was so upset by this, so did Judy. They tried to make me feel better, but nothing honestly worked.

**From: Britt X**

**Hows it going?**

**To: Britt**

**Terrible :(**

I was in my own thoughts resting my chin on my palm and marking the work absently. I tried to concentrate, but Rachel's voice echoed in my head. What was wrong with her? And where were her parents?

"Have you heard anything?" I asked when Quinn sat down next to me.

"No" she shook her head "But I suspected something was wrong with her before this, I do know she's in a mental ward in the hospital though" she said and that was news to me "When did you hear about this?"

"Just now, but there's no news about how _she_ is" she said.

I sighed and looked back to the papers "Just a few months and me and Brittany will be out of here, too many weird things happen here in Lima" I commented and Quinn nodded in agreement "Few months I will be in Yale too, leave this place behind forever"

* * *

Once it was time to leave. I packed up all my things and started for the door. Just when my foot was centimetres from the door I heard Judy on the phone "Oh dear..yes, I don't know why..can't you get a new one?" I stopped and let my nosey side listen to the women's conversation, just in case it had something to do with Rachel, I didn't want to show them I was so worried so just pretended to look for something.

"Gold star? Okay, I'll look for another one...the Latina girl?"

I stopped and turned around. Quinn's eyebrows raised and Samantha crossed her arms. She was so annoying.

"I don't know if she's able to do that.." Judy told them.

"Do what?" I asked loudly. Judy looked at me "She wants another gold star, her old one fell off in all that hassle"

"She still remembers that?" I questioned. After everything that has happened with the kid, she remembered that?

"Yeah" Judy nodded.

I looked around the hall wondering if her old one fell off here. Quinn got up and started looking too "Is that is?" she asked. I jumped up and ran over to the gold star abandoned on the floor and picked it up "It's lost it's stick, she's going to need a new one" I said. Quinn nodded and went to go find one.

I stared at the gold star. Now I was just having thoughts and day-mares of when it came off in the struggle and the fight. Poor thing. But I didn't know how a star was going to make her feel better, maybe just a little.

"Do they want me to go over there and give it to her?" I asked Judy who looked like she didn't want me to "Are you alright with that?" she asked. I nodded, now she was starting to peeve me off too, Rachel was just a little girl, she wasn't some sort of monster that would cause her to lose one of her staff!

"I'll give it to her" I said taking the sheet of stickers and staring at the last gold star on the sheet. I turned around and walked out towards where Brittany was waiting in her car, she jumped up from sleeping on the wheel when I climbed in "Change of plans" I said "We're going to the hospital"

* * *

"Are you sure this is the right floor?" Brittany half-whispered.

"Of course it is, Britt" I said looking around at all the paintings these kids and teenagers had been doing. Brittany nodded "Maybe it is"

We were walking through the ward, I've never met someone on this floor before and I've never seen it. I didn't even know the hospital had one. It felt kind of weird being here. Brittany was staring around with her mouth shaped as an 'a' while I was looking for Rachel Berry's bed.

"I'm not taking any medicine!"

"Rachel" a stern male voice warned.

"You can't make me!" Rachel yelled.

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, for some reason I imagined Rachel to be silent and not speak to anyone, but this hostile behaviour was normal for her, like she was back to her normal self and I couldn't help but smile very small as we were still in this ward and it wasn't something to smile about.

I tentatively walked around the curtain and first saw a doctor, then a man with his arm around his daughter and then another man who watched from the armchair and then. Rachel.

"Santana?" she questioned. She looked shocked to see me "You-You, here?"

"Yes I am" I nodded. Her..fathers? Were staring at me and I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable but then the one that had been with Rachel stood up and moved past the doctor and stood in front of me and I gulped nervously.

"Thank you" he shook my head "You're the one who helped her, so thank you for that" he looked so happy with me that I couldn't help but smiling and ducking my head "You're welcome Mr Berry" I said and then the other one stood up and nodded at me too "We're very grateful you could come to the _psychiatric ward" _

So that's what it was called.

"Um, we can only have two people here at a time" the doctor said and the two men glared at him. Rachel was still staring at me and I smiled at her. She looked so tiny in this bed, the little thing..

"Maybe we can have a word outside afterwards" one of them whispered to me before walking out, leaving me alone with Rachel and Brittany. The doctor sighed and collected up his things and left. Why did they leave me here with her! I didn't know how to handle this stuff!

Rachel looked up at me "Hey" she said.

"Hey" Brittany replied sitting down beside her where her dad had once sat. I sat on the other side of her, so Rachel was in between us "Guess what I have?"

She smiled cheekily.

"Here's a gold star, for a very special little girl"

Rachel smiled "I'm special?"

"Very" Brittany agreed.

Suddenly Rachel choked up a sob and I quickly wrap my arms around her "Hey, hey. don't cry, shh" I whispered into her hair "It's okay, it's okay" Rachel was still sobbing into my shoulder, she just wanted to let it out I guessed and I wanted to let her, I just rocked her and whispered comforting words while Brittany stoked her back "Let it out Estrella, I'm here"

I felt sorry for the broken little girl, I really did. I wanted this talk with her dads, I wanted to know about what the doctors said and what they were doing now. I wanted to know, even if it wasn't really my business.

But I wanted to know.

Rachel pulled away sniffling "I'm sorry"

"It's okay, we get you're upset" Brittany said.

"Do I still get a sticker?" she looked up at me pleadingly.

"Of course" I smiled and then took one gold star off of the sheet and pressed it onto her hospital night gown "You keep holding on there, Estrella" I told her pressing it down before looking up into her eyes "You keep in there"

* * *

**Phew! That was a little hard to write, I didn't know how I wanted her parents to be so I figured these were her ADOPTED parents, Santana and Britt will learn that next time and all the questions that weren't answered in this chapter will be answered in the next chapter with Berry's and San and Britt. **

**Read and Review :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: It's going to be Foster parents instead. And something had to happen to make her foster parents start to slowly give up so this chapter contains some paranoia of people killing other people in Rachel's mind and some hallucinating. Thank u for all the reviews, favs, and follows, they mean a lot to me, Read and Review :)**

* * *

"I think you've put it together by now that we're not her real parents"

"Yeah we figured" I nodded, fingers gripping around the coffee cup. Brittany nodded too "Who are you then?"

"Her foster parents" Hiram Berry answered "Her real parents suffered with Schizophrenia but, they are no longer with us, so Rachel was placed in a foster home" I could tell he was going back into his memories now "And me and Leroy always wanted a daughter but we could never have one, obviously, so we decided to foster"

"Not adopt?" Brittany asked.

"No, we don't think we're ready for that, Rachel can be..difficult" Leroy stated.

"Obviously" I muttered before looking back up "What did they say about her, if her parents had Schizophrenia is there a chance she could have it?"

"Yes" Leroy sighed.

"We're trying as best as we can but sometimes it just gets so hard, we usually can ever get her out of a panic attacks when she thinks people are after her, for some reason she loved you, and them gold stars" he smiled at me and I felt my heart warm at the thought of being able to do that to a small and obviously fragile little girl.

"What's going to happen now?" Brittany asked.

"Well" Hiram leaned back in his seat "We wait until she gets checked out, they'll probably do some tests and if they need to keep her at the mental health clinic or start giving her regular appointments then so be it, we're not going to stand in the way, but this job is not what we expected when we decided to foster" he said in a tone that got me worrying.

"You wouldn't send her back would you?" Brittany's voice was worrying.

"We would do whatever was best for her, and she's best with us"

* * *

I didn't see much of Rachel in the last few days. Whenever I had to go back to the tutoring place it felt wrong being there. Quinn would just carry on like everything was normal and sometimes Judy would talk about her, but most of the time it was just me, sitting there, wondering when she would be back.

"Santana!"

I jumped at hearing a childish voice and whipped my head around to see a smiling Rachel Berry standing between her two tall fathers "Oh my god Rachel!" I jumped up and ran around the desk to her and she did the same, running into my eyes and I lifted her off the ground and spun her before letting her down.

Hiram and Leroy smiled. I knew whatever they were thinking was right, if Rachel was better at the home she should go there. But Rachel was better with them, and it seemed like they were good with handling her. So I was happy as long as she was, and as long as she was safe.

"How have you been?" I asked stroking her cheek. She looked adorable today with her hair up in a pony and her jacket and jeans back on instead of that gown I last saw her in. I smiled when I saw her sticker taped onto her jacket obviously from when I had stuck it on the gown the other day. So to get it to stick on her jacket she would have to tape it. I had to make sure I had enough of those.

"I've been fine thank you Santana" Rachel smiled.

"Good, you staying?" I asked her and she nodded. Her foster parents knew she was safe with me and left us to it. Judy walked up to me and smiled down at Rachel "Hello there" she said and Rachel shifted closer to me a little bit "I'm just going to have a word with your fathers before they leave, okay?"

Hopefully they had already gone so she couldn't. She was probably just after the money they needed to pay. I saw through the doors in the window; she catching up to them and they started talking. I sighed and led Rachel to one of the tables that were close by me, just so I could keep an eye on her.

"Call me if you need any help" I told her. Rachel nodded, her hand slowly letting go off mine. I wish I could hold her but I didn't want to creep her out. Just when her hand was just about to fall rom my fingers; it suddenly tightened "Santana" she whispered frightened as she stared at something with her hand getting tighter.

"Rachel are you okay?" I asked her.

Rachel nodded and quickly looked down to her work, like whatever she was seeing was gone now "I'm okay" she said as she pulled her hand away from mine. I looked down at her, such a little innocent thing experiencing theses terrifying moments where she would hallucinate things that weren't there.

"Are you sure?" I questioned.

"I'm fine" Rachel closed her eyes trying to convince herself that.

"Okay" I stepped away and walked back to the desk. I watched her for a few more moments before I started marking, I looked back up again to see her still working, so I went back to marking. A few minutes went on with it like that before I heard Sam "Rachel get back into your seat!"

I snapped my head up to see the young girl running towards the doors "Rachel!" I yelled standing up and chasing after her "Where are you going?" I quickly stood in front of her so she couldn't run out. Rachel looked down "I can't do it, I can't do it" she whispered.

"Can't do what sweetheart"

"I can't do this, I have to save my dad, he's going to kill him! I'm telling you Santana he is you have to let me help him!" she yelled.

"No one is going to kill your dad Rachel" I tried telling her.

"Daddy will! Daddy is going to kill Dad!" she screamed and all the other kids stopped working and all stared at her in shock and confusion. Judy walked in and walked up to her "Rachel other people are working you can't just start screaming-"

Rachel shook her head and stormed past me and ran through the doors and into the waiting room on the right. I cursed and shot out after her, I didn't have a good feeling of how her parents would react to her saying something like this.

Rachel ran through the doors and her foster parents looked up startled "Rachel-" Leroy said before Rachel pounced on him and started attacking him. It was all a blur as I watched it happen, I tried to go over there, but on top of Hiram I couldn't get to Rachel. The two men were sorting it by themselves. It felt weird to just get involved. I do remember them calling someone again though and I realised I may have to make another trip to the hospital this week if in the rush her sticker falls off again.

I just hoped I had enough gold stars.

* * *

Hiram and Leroy Berry did all they could.

"I think it's time" Hiram said "To do what is best for us"


End file.
